Genome-wide identification of the bHLH gene family and the mechanism regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis by ChEGL1 in Cerasus humilis

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2024-12, Vol.288, p.138783, Article 138783
• Main Authors: Ji, Xiaolong, Yang, Fan, Zhou, Xiumei, Jia, Wenqing, Zhu, Xiaopei, Mu, Jinyan, Wang, Yanli, Zhang, Yan, Mi, Zhaorong, Zhang, Shulin, Du, Xiaohua, Song, Xingshun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthocyanin; bHLH gene family; Cerasus humilis; ChEGL1; ChMYB1
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.138783

Cerasus humilis is a fruit tree with enormous potential economic value, and its fruit is rich in various bioactive substances. The basic helix loop helix (bHLH) gene family plays an important role in the biosynthesis of plant anthocyanins. However, there was no research on the ChbHLH gene family in C. humilis. In this study, 114 ChbHLH genes were identified from the C. humilis genome and divided into 17 subgroups. Then, evolutionary relationships, conserved motifs, gene structures, and cis-acting elements were analyzed. By predicting the interaction network between ChbHLH proteins and ChMYB1, it was found that ChbHLH44 (here named as ChEGL1) was located at the core of the interaction network. Further experiments revealed that ChEGL1 and ChMYB1 could interact with each other both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, ChEGL1 significantly increased the anthocyanin content in transgenic tomato plants. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the ChbHLH gene family and supports further enrichment of the regulation mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis in C. humilis fruit.